PLATFORMS Residential Project
I was asked to revamp an apartment based in a beautiful old monastery in the south of France. The apartment had one bedroom, a kitchen, and a living space, basically a series of boxes. Together with the client, we decided that one large open space would be far better. So we got rid of a few walls! However, a completely open layout presents its own problems.
It became necessary to create separation from one living space to the next. If you don’t have this, your home, and your life, can quickly become a mess. The challenge lay in not compromising on the openness of the apartment, or making it look smaller, but clearly defining the function of each space.
The answer was to create a series of platforms that would elevate certain areas and give them autonomy. The lounge area was therefore raised above the dining space, creating a focus point as you walk in the room. A sense of wishing to “explore” the apartment.
Similarly, I raised the large double bed above the rest of the bedroom to delineate between the sleeping and the changing areas. It’s important to make the distinction if you wish for a good night’s sleep! This also allowed for some neat storage space below the bed. An open hatch next to the bed negated any sense of being “boxed in”. It also meant the client could watch the TV in the adjoining lounge from their bed.
Throughout the apartment, certain recesses were painted in a soft grey to create an illusion of separation and a warm cocoon-like feel. It was important that the new layout made full use of these recesses. Hence next to the bed there is now a space for a lamp and reading material.
The bathroom area was very cramped previously and didn’t feel at all separate from the bedroom. To free up some space I removed the bath and replaced it with a more economical shower. The floor of the bathroom was raised by 100mm to create a step from bedroom to bathroom. I also introduced the soft grey colour scheme into the bathroom to create a contrast with the light bedroom.
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